The mission of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center is to provide actionable avalanche and mountain weather information for people recreating, working, traveling, or living in south-central Idaho.
We begin daily avalanche forecasts in the fall after enough snow accumulates in the mountains for on-snow travel in the backcountry and continue them until mid-April. In conjunction with the Friends of the SAC, we also offer a variety of classroom and field-based educational programs, including instruction specifically aimed toward youth, backcountry skiers, snowmobilers, and professionals.
Scott Savage, Director
scott@sawtoothavalanche.com
Scott began poking around the mountains in the late 1980s while earning degrees in Chemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He headed to Big Sky, Montana to ski-bum for a winter and ended up spending the better part of two decades there as a Ski Patroller, Avalanche Forecaster, and Snow Safety Director at Big Sky Resort. Scott joined the SAC program in 2012 and has been the Director since 2014. He has presented at many international avalanche conferences and regional professional seminars and is a regular contributor to The Avalanche Review. Scott is a National Avalanche School instructor, President of the American Avalanche Association, and President of Avalanche Worker Safety. He likes to spend his free time playing on snow, dirt, rivers, and rocks and listening to geeky podcasts. Scott considers each day that he learns more than he forgets to be a success.
Ethan Davis, Avalanche Specialist
ethan@sawtoothavalanche.com
Ethan began working as a forecaster with the Sawtooth Avalanche Center in 2015. His interest in snow started at Anthony Lakes, a mom-and-pop ski hill in rural Eastern Oregon. He attended the University of Idaho, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Geography and a minor in Mathematics. Following an interest in winter storms he earned his Master’s degree in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University. After three years in a dark lab growing ice crystals, Ethan returned to the light as a forecaster in Alaska and Colorado before making his way home to Idaho. When not in the snow, you can find him camping, backpacking, hunting, and climbing with his wife and two young boys.
Zach Miller, Avalanche Specialist
zachary.miller@sawtoothavalanche.com
Zach grew up getting rained on at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington and got plugged into snow science while at the University of Colorado. Digging snow hydrology pits on the always windy Niwot Ridge unintentionally kickstarted a career, and Zach has been working professionally in the snow and avalanche world ever since. His background includes ski patrolling at Solitude in Utah, avalanche course instructing in NW Montana, avalanche forecasting for the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, completing a master’s degree from Montana State University in Earth Sciences and conducting snow science, mountain climate and glaciology research for the U.S. Geological Survey. When not digging holes in the snow, you’ll probably find him riding bikes or running or hiking with his old little dog, Blue.
Zach Peterson, Avalanche Specialist
zach.peterson@sawtoothavalanche.com
Zach joined the SAC team in 2024. Born in Colorado and raised in western Montana, Zach found a love for the mountains at an early age. He took full advantage during his four years studying Economics at Montana State University, spending any spare moments skiing or snowmobiling in the mountains near Bozeman. Since 2018, Zach has spent his winters ski patrolling, ski-guiding, and teaching avalanche courses in the Beartooth Mountains. Also, he spent the 2023-24 season interning with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. When not chasing snow on foot or machine, Zach likes exploring the mountains with his dogs, kayaking, or chasing endless winters in South America.
Chris Lundy, Avalanche Specialist, National Avalanche Center
chris@avalanche.org
Chris works for the National Avalanche Center and remains involved with the Sawtooth Avalanche Center as a forecaster emeritus. Chris has over 20 years of diverse professional experience with snow and avalanches, including 13 seasons with SAC. After earning an MS in Civil Engineering from Montana State University, Chris has worked as a researcher, ski patroller, highway avalanche forecaster, backcountry ski guide, backcountry avalanche forecaster, and web developer. Chris lives in Stanley and enjoys mountain travel in all of its forms.
Cody Richmond, Executive Director – Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center
cody.richmond@sawtoothavalanche.com
Cody is a Wood River Valley native who brings a diverse set of skills to his leadership role with the Friends. Calling on a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in nonprofit management, Cody has served as the president of the Sawtooth Snowmobile Club and owned and managed a small business. He is a veteran commercial guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon and pursues his passion for avalanche education as an AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) motorized instructor. Cody leads the Friends team to fulfill their mission: provide approximately half of the SAC’s budget while promoting life-saving avalanche safety information, education, and outreach throughout southern and central Idaho. To learn more about the Friends and how to support them, visit friends.sawtoothavalanche.com.